The definitive account of one of the largest spontaneous, leaderless revolutions the world has ever seen-- tragically crushed by the Soviet Union in 1956. Triggered by a confluence of fateful events in 1956, Hungarian students led hundreds of thousands of their countrymen in a spontaneous revolt against the Soviet-sponsored government. They succeeded for just two weeks, until the USSR released a vengeful blitzkrieg. More than 200,000 Hungarian refugees fled to Austria; many made their way to the U.S. The true story of the uprising had to await the fall of the Iron Curtain. A Radio Free Europe journalist, the author sensed the importance of that moment in time and saved his notes, articles, and dispatches, and uses it all to create a picture of life in that exhilarating and tragic time. This is by far the most comprehensive account of the revolt.